Outdoor Injury Prevention Starts in Your Own Back Yard

Safe Kids Kansas offers families important outdoor safety tips

Topeka, Kan. -- Most parents regard their home as one of the safest places for their children, however injuries can happen anywhere, even in your own backyard. Each of five major child injury hazards — motor vehicles, drowning, burns, falls and poison — can be found in the back yard during the summer. Riding mowers, inflatable pools, home playground equipment and even natural vegetation and sunlight require a few simple precautions.

“All of the safety guidelines that you apply to sports, playgrounds and swimming should also apply to those activities in your own back yard,” says Cherie Sage, State Director for Safe Kids Kansas. “An inflatable pool needs to be surrounded by a fence, just like any other pool. A home playground needs to be anchored on an appropriate surface just like equipment on a public playground.”

Kiddie pools, or wading pools, should be emptied when not in use. “Kiddie pools are just as dangerous to a small child as full-size pools — a child can drown in just a few inches of water,” says Sage. “Make sure that you store the pool upside down so that it cannot fill with rainwater.”

Safe Kids Kansas offers detailed guidelines about pool safety and playground safety at www.usa.safekids.org. In addition, Safe Kids Kansas recommends these precautions for activities in the back yard:

Remove potential poisons from your yard, including poisonous plants, pesticides and pool chemicals. Teach kids not to handle or eat any part of a plant unless you know it is safe.

Keep children away from the grill area while preheating and cooking and while the grill is cooling.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, apply insect repellent to a child’s clothing and exposed skin. (Check with your pediatrician if you have any questions about the instructions.)

Teach children not to disturb or feed any wild animals, no matter how harmless the animals may seem.

Apply sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher to your child’s exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before going out, and reapply frequently. (It is possible to get a sunburn in cloudy conditions.)

Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. A child who seems tired or achy should rest in the shade or go inside for a while. Get immediate medical help any time a child’s skin is hot to the touch (with or without perspiration) or if a child has a seizure or becomes disoriented in hot weather.

Lawn Mowers
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home. Each year, approximately 68,000 persons with injuries caused by power mowers were treated in emergency departments in the U.S. More than 9,000 of the people hurt were younger than 18 years. Older children and adolescents were most often hurt while cutting lawns as chores or as a way to earn money.

Lawn mower injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers and toes, broken and dislocated bones, burns, and eye and other injuries. Some injuries are very serious. Both users of mowers and those who are nearby can be hurt.

To prevent lawn mower injuries to children, the AAP and Safe Kids Kansas recommend the following:

Try to use a mower with a control that stops the mower from moving forward if the handle is let go.

Children younger than 16 years should not be allowed to use ride-on mowers. Children younger than 12 years should not use walk-behind mowers.

Make sure that sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) are worn while mowing.

Prevent injuries from flying objects, such as stones or toys, by picking up objects from the lawn before mowing begins. Use a collection bag for grass clippings or a plate that covers the opening where cut grass is released. Have anyone who uses a mower wear hearing and eye protection.

Make sure that children are indoors or at a safe distance well away from the area that you plan to mow.

Start and refuel mowers outdoors, not in a garage or shed. Mowers should be refueled with the motor turned off and cool.

Make sure that blade settings (to set the wheel height or dislodge debris) are done by an adult, with the mower off and the spark plug removed or disconnected.

Do not pull the mower backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary, and carefully look for children behind you when you mow in reverse.

Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge chute, or crossing gravel paths, roads, or other areas.

Do not allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.

For more information about outdoor recreation safety, call 785-296-1223 or visit www.usa.safekids.org.

Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of over 70 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters cover Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Butler, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Finney, Geary, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pottawatomie, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Sumner, and Wilson counties, as well as the city of Emporia and the Metro Kansas City Area (Wyandotte county and several Missouri counties.) Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. The lead agency for Safe Kids Kansas is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.